(24) OOOOOHHHHH WE'RE HALFWAY THERE!

     Seriously I don't even know how I am halfway through my stay at the MTC already!!!! Technically next week is going to be considered our 5th week here and it is just so crazy! We are going to be hosting next week... that's how long we have been here! Hosting is when you stand out on the sidewalk and usher in all the newbies.  So basically I get to be the one who tears a bunch of baby childs from their family for 18 months and tell them it's going to be great... i am so excited!
     Ok so last Friday Sister Tucker got her visa! So both Sister Doman and Sister Tucker left this past Tuesday for o Brasil and it's just so exciting! but kind of really sad cuz now we are two people short and our bedroom feels so empty and quiet and we have so much extra room in the class and we just miss them.
     Oh! and Sunday was our first and only Fast Sunday here in the MTC! It was pretty awesome. Instead of Relief Society and Priesthood meetings we had a Mission Conference with everybody and that was really cool. We got to listen to a recording of Wilford Woodruff's voice! Apparently Alexander Bell didn't just invent the telephone but also a recording device made out of wax or cork or something weird like that (how does that even work?!?) and Wilford Wilson was one of the first people to try it out! He recorded his testimony of the gospel and Joseph Smith and it was so cool! It was definitely really hard to understand what he was saying of course, since you know he  used wax or whatever to record it, but it was really awesome to get to listen to it. 
     I also read 60 pages of the Book of Mormon on Sunday, which might not seem like that big of a deal but considering I usually fall asleep after  5 pages, it's pretty impressive.  I am almost done with Alma which I am pretty proud of. Reading the whole Book of Mormon while here in the MTC has been so awesome.  So far it's been such a wonderful experience. I've learned so much. Like the BOM is actually really funny sometimes... hahah no that is not all I have learned about it, but who said that you can enjoy and get a good laugh out of it?? that's right. no one. :]
     Ha so everyone here is getting sick. It's just making it's rounds and I'm pretty sure I am the only one in my district who hasn't been sick yet in some form.  Seriously I'm pretty sure I put on a gallon of sanitizer every single day and I downed a whole 32 water bottle of like 5 emergen-c's yesterday (so not worth it... "this burning sensation must mean something!") Hopefully I'll be able to stay healthy. It would stink so much to be sick here in the MTC.
     Portugues and lesson teaching are going well. I mean sometimes I feel like I don't know anything about the gospel/the language, but then I think about how I have only been here for 3 weeks and I can pray in portugues and teach full lessons and am working up to trying to only speaking portugues throughout the day and I realize that I do. I dooo. hahaha =] No but seriously it's been going pretty decent. I've made a goal to memorize a notecard full of words everyday (roughly about 60ish...) and it's going pretty good so far. I'm only like on day three of it but yeah it's going great so far. hahah
     Ok so the investigators we have... they are all just roleplayers. Out teacher Irmao Mummey was our first investigator Arisvan and then he became our teacher and now he is both our teacher and a new investigator Alex.  Sister Ray and I are also teaching Elders Hoeft and Morales who are pretending to be these two guys names Tyler and Ubaldo. It's pretty awesome.  I kind of hate roleplaying with all of my soul and have a really hard time taking it seriously (not so much with Alex, but definitely with the elders) but it's so helpful and can be really awesome.
    Ok now for some funny things. So I may or may not have figured out how to say 'long ago in a galaxy far far away' in portugues. hahaha we were learning how to say ' a long time ago' and i had to ask and it is awesome. "Muito anos atras na galaxia muito longe daqui..." hahah awesome.
   And also as a district we are working on memorizing James 1:5 and we were trying to translate it to better understand it and memorize it better and at one point it literally translated to 'spear in face'... like the Lord will upbraideth not and not spear you in the face.... literally that's kind of what the words translate to... at least with our limited portugues knowledge... it's kind of hilarious.
   Alright so i really really have to be finishing this up. But um a few shout outs. Rachy Rach. I LOVE YOU.  i just got your postcards this past week and it was so wonderful to hear from you! and I dont have a return address for you so yes, my mission will end up being more or less 500ish days, but that's including my time here in the MTC so it's not completely 500 of Brazil but  it's still awesome. hahah
   Also. Shane Horlacher. Where are you?? Write me. Like right now ya pansy.
   I seriously love all you guys so much! I love hearing from all of you! seriously the end of the day when we get letters is the best ever! Keep sending DearElders they literally make my whole exsistence here! Love you guys and cant wait to talk to you again next week!!

-Sister Rice